Cliff Richard

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Sir Cliff Richard
Background information
Birth name	Harry Rodger Webb
Origin	Born in Lucknow, India raised in England
Years active	1958 - onwards

Sir Cliff Richard OBE, (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940; Lucknow, India) is one of the most popular singers of all time in the United Kingdom.

With his backing group The Shadows, he dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before the advent of The Beatles. A conversion to Christianity and subsequent softening of his music led to his having more of a pop than rock image. Although never able to achieve the same impact in the United States as he had in Britain, in spite of having several chart hits there, Richard has remained a popular music, film, and television personality in the UK and also retains a following in several other countries.

During the last six decades, Cliff Richard has charted many hit singles, and holds the record (along with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all of its active decades (1950s–2000s). According to his website, he has sold 250 million records over the course of his career. [1]. In the British charts alone, Richard has had more than 150 singles, albums and EPs make the top 20 [2]

Contents 1 1940—1958: Childhood 2 1958—1963: Success and stardom 3 1964—1975: Changing circumstances 4 1976—1994: Comeback 5 1995—: Sir Cliff 6 Sexuality 7 Chart accomplishments 8 Christmas songs 9 Discography 10 Trivia 11 See also 12 External links

[edit] 1940—1958: Childhood

Harry Rodger Webb was born in Lucknow, India in 1940 to parents Rodger and Dorothy (formerly Dazely) Webb . A year later his family moved to Calcutta. In 1947, after Indian independence, the family moved to Britain.

Life in England was not easy; for three years the Webbs did not have their own family home and stayed with various relatives until 1951 when they were awarded a council house in the town of Cheshunt.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 1958—1963: Success and stardom

Harry Webb went from being a skiffle group member to becoming the lead singer of the rock and roll Drifters in 1958 (not to be confused with the American group of the same name). Before their first "big time" out-of-town performance at the Regal Ballroom in Ripley, they took the name of "Cliff Richard and the Drifters". The members of the band were Harry, who had become Cliff, Ian "Sammy" Samwell, Terry Smart and Norman Mitham. None of these went on to be part of the later and better known Shadows.

In the summer of 1958 Cliff obtained a recording contract with EMI for himself only, leaving the band behind. He remained with this label until signing with Decca in 2004. As the Drifters faded away, Cliff and the Shadows would become contractually separate entities, and the group would not receive any performer royalties for the records they made backing Cliff.

Cliff went into Abbey Road Studios to tape his first record on 24 July, 1958, but as the producer, Norrie Paramor, had little faith in the (pre-Marvin/Welch) Drifters, he brought in two experienced session men, Ernie Shear & Frank Clarke to provide backing on lead guitar and bass.

On the first 1958 record Norrie Paramor provided a song called "Schoolboy Crush", a cover of an American record by Bobby Helms, while for the B-side Cliff was allowed to record one of his own songs. This was "Move It", written by Ian "Sammy" Samwell famously on a number "715" Green Line Bus on the way to Cliff's house on the Bury Green Estate in Cheshunt for a rehearsal.

There are a number of stories about why the A-side song was replaced by the B-side. One says that Norrie Paramor's young daughter raved about the B-side instead of the A-side. Another possible reason for the flip was that influential TV producer Jack Good (producer), who used the act for his TV show Oh Boy!, wanted the only song on his show to be "Move It".

The single was flipped and went to number 2 in the charts. Music critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler would later write that it was first genuine British great rock classic, to be followed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates's "Shakin' All Over" before The Beatles hit "I Saw Her Standing There".

In the early days, Cliff Richard was seen as something of a British equivalent to Elvis Presley. As did previous British rockers such as Marty Wilde, Cliff Richard adopted Presley-like dress and hairstyle. In performance he struck a pose of rock attitude, rarely smiling or looking directly at the audience or camera. His late 1958 and early 1959 follow-up singles, "High Class Baby", "Livin' Lovin' Doll", and "Mean Streak", carried a rocker's sense of speed and passion. It was on "Livin' Lovin' Doll" that The Drifters began to back Cliff on record. At that time the band's lineup had changed with the bringing-in of Jet Harris, Tony Meehan, Hank Marvin, and Bruce Welch. The group changed its name to "the Shadows" after legal complications had arisen with the U.S. Drifters.

Richard's fifth single, "Living Doll", was a bouncy ballad which ushered in a change of focus. Subsequent hits such as "Travellin' Light", "I Love You", and "Theme for a Dream" became quite popular and cemented Richard's status as a mainstream pop entertainer, along with a few others, such as Adam Faith and Billy Fury.

The Shadows were not a typical backing group. In 1959, the Shadows (then still known as the Drifters) won an EMI recording contract of their own, for recordings independent of Cliff. That year they released three singles, two of which were double-sided vocals and one of which had instrumental A and B sides. In 1960, they recorded and released "Apache", which saw the birth of British rock guitar instrumental music. Hitting the top of the charts (internationally, not just in the UK), the record set the Shadows on a path of their own, they thereafter had several major hits of their own, as well as continuing to appear and record with Cliff and wrote many of his hits.

In the early 1960s, Cliff Richard and the Shadows were virtually inseparable as the biggest concert draw in Britain. Typically, the Shadows closed the first-half with a 30-minute set of their own, and then backed Cliff on his show-closing 45-minute stint. Tony Meehan and Jet Harris eventually left the group, in 1961 and 1962 respectively, and later teamed up very successfully in the charts. The Shadows had a few more bass players, and also took in Brian Bennett on drums.

In the early days, Cliff also sometimes recorded without the Shadows, mainly to cater for other styles. Hits from 1962 onward in this mould included "It's All in the Game", "Constantly", "The Minute You're Gone", and "Wind Me Up".

In the period between 1958 and 1963, Cliff Richard and the Shadows were the hottest thing in Britain. In 1960 they toured the United States and were fairly well-received, but the record company did not provide strong enough support for album distribution - among other matters - and so the chances were lost. It was the same with their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was responsible for much of the Beatles' success, but did not really help Cliff and the Shadows. As a result, Cliff Richard remained almost completely unknown in the US. However, Cliff and the Shadows basically re-wrote convention in British recording companies and opened EMI up to the importance and strength of rock n' roll music. It was due to them that Parlophone were looking for a "second" Cliff and the Shadows, eventually signing the Beatles.

Cliff and the Shadows appeared in a number of films, most notably in The Young Ones (which would give its name to 1980s TV sitcom The Young Ones, a show which also made reverent references to Richard), Summer Holiday (which featured a slimmed-down Richard with visible dancing skills), Wonderful Life and Finders Keepers. These movies created their own genre known as the "Cliff Richard musical" and led to Cliff being named the #1 cinema box office attraction in Britain for both 1962 and 1963.

[edit] 1964—1975: Changing circumstances

As with the other existing rock acts in Britain, Richard's career was affected by the advent of The Beatles and the Mersey sound in 1963 and 1964. However, his popularity was well established enough to allow him to weather the storm and continue to have hits in the charts throughout the 1960s, albeit not at the level that he had enjoyed before. Nor did doors open to him in the US market; he was not part of the British Invasion, and the American public had little awareness of him.

Another important aspect of Cliff's life was his conversion to Christianity in 1964. Standing up publicly as a Christian affected his career in several ways. Firstly, Cliff believed that he should quit rock 'n roll, believing that he could no longer be the rocker who had been called a "crude exhibitionist" and "too sexy for TV" and a threat to parents' daughters, although his image had already become tamer due to his film roles and well-spoken voice on radio and TV. He intended at first to reform his ways and become a teacher, but Christian friends told him that he did not need to abandon his career just because he had become a Christian. Soon after, Cliff re-emerged and performed with Christian groups and recorded some Christian material. He still recorded secular songs with the Shadows, but he gave a lot of his time to Christian work. As time progressed, Cliff balanced his life and work, which enabled him to remain one of the most popular singers in Britain as well as one of the best-known Christians.

Cliff Richard's first straight acting role took place in the 1968 film Two a Penny, in which he played a young man who gets involved in drug dealing while questioning his life after his girlfriend changes her attitude.

He also twice represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest, both times unsuccessfully, though his first attempt, "Congratulations" in 1968, was a global hit and has become a standard, still sung on suitable occasions. But in the contest he was defeated by Massiel, from Spain. In 1973 he came third with Power to all our friends, finishing behind Luxembourg's Anne-Marie David and Spain's Mocedades. Cliff also hosted the BBC's qualifying heat for the Eurovision Song Contest, A Song for Europe, in 1970, 1971 and 1972.

After the Shadows split in 1968, Cliff Richard recorded without the band. He had already become accustomed to the Shadows' absence and was able to record in a variety of settings. Although in the early 1960s many fans regretted that Cliff had tried out songs which were not strictly in the rock 'n roll area, the process of getting used to recording with the Shadows as the "rock group", while at other times singing with other musicians helped him to develop and become a more versatile artist.

During the 1970s, Cliff took part in television shows, such as It's Cliff, many of which also starred Hank Marvin. These shows,for a time, made Cliff into a television personality more than a recording artist. In 1972, he made a short BBC television comedy film called The Case with appearances from comedians and dueting on songs with Olivia Newton-John, the first woman with whom he ever sang a duet. Cliff was in everyone's homes, and gave enjoyment to all the family, and remained a successful pop recording presence.

[edit] 1976—1994: Comeback

Cliff and others (like his former Shadow, Bruce Welch) decided that they would bring Cliff Richard back as a "rock" artist. This collaboration produced the 1976 landmark Cliff album I'm Nearly Famous, which included the classic rock guitar-driven track "Devil Woman" and the ballad "Miss You Nights". Cliff and his fans were excited about this success for a man who had been a part of British rock from its early days. Many music names such as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Elton John were seen sporting "I'm Nearly Famous" badges, pleased that Cliff was getting back into the heavier rock in which he had begun his career.

Notwithstanding this, Cliff continued to release gospel tinged albums in parallel with his rock and pop albums. For example, 'Small Corners' from 1978 contained the singles 'Yes He Lives'. Despite his 1976 comeback, this single failed to chart in the United Kingdom.

In 1979 Cliff teamed up with the producer 'Alan Tarney' for the pop hit single "We Don't Talk Anymore" which hit number one. It was quickly added onto the end of his latest album 'Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile'. It was his first time at the top of the singles in over ten years, and the song would become his biggest-selling single ever. At long last he had some success in the United States: His 1976 single "Devil Woman" accompanied by a promotional tour had given him a #6 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and now the follow-ups "We Don't Talk Anymore" and "Dreaming" reached the top ten; his 1980 duet "Suddenly" with Olivia Newton-John would be a hit as well. He continued with a string of top ten albums, including I'm no hero, Wired for sound, Now you see me, now you don't, and in his 25th year in showbusiness, Silver. The singles chart also saw his most consistent period of top twenty hits since the mid '60s. 1987 saw Cliff record his Always Guaranteed album, which became his best selling album of all new material, containing the two top ten hit singles, 'My Pretty One' and 'Some People'. He concluded his thirtieth year in music with spectacular chart style, at number one in the singles chart with Mistletoe and Wine and simultaneously number one in the album and video charts with the compilation Private Collection summing up his biggest hits from 1979-1988. The album was his biggest seller yet. Top 10 albums continued with Stronger in 1989, From a distance in 1990 and yet another number one with The Album in 1993. The next few years saw him concentrate on bringing the musical Heathcliff to the stage, a resounding success, but the time it took seemed to take a toll on his chart positions.

In 1986 Cliff Richard teamed up with The Young Ones to re-record his smash hit "Living Doll" for the charity Comic Relief. Along with the song, the recording contained comedy dialog between Cliff and The Young Ones. It went to #1.

Back in the UK during the next years and throughout the 1980s, Cliff Richard remained one of the biggest music artists in the country. In the space of a few years he worked with Elton John, Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, Julian Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Phil Everly, Janet Jackson, and Van Morrison. He also did more work with Olivia Newton-John, and in 1989 filled the Wembley Stadium for a few nights with a spectacular titled "The Event".

The Shadows later re-formed (and later again split), and recorded on their own, but re-united with Cliff in 1978 and 1984 for some concerts.

[edit] 1995—: Sir Cliff

Cliff Richard was knighted on 25 October 1995. He was the first rock star to be so honoured, ahead of Sir Paul McCartney (1997) and Sir Elton John (1998).

In 1999, amid great controversy regarding radio stations refusing to play his records, and the record company with whom he had recorded for since 1958, EMI refusing to release his latest single, Cliff took his Millennium Prayer to an independent label, who released the charity record (in aid of Children's Promise) giving him his 14th number one single, not to mention his third best career seller.

His next album (2001) was a covers project Wanted which sold steadily, followed by another top ten album with Cliff at Christmas, which contained both new and older recordings, including 'Santa's List' his only top five chart placing of the new century.

Cliff de-camped to Nashville for his next album project in 2004, employing a writer's camp to give him the pick of all new songs for the album Something's Goin' On a critically well received collection, but with a disapointing sales return. Nevertheless it was yet another top ten album, containing three top 15 singles, 'Something is goin' on', 'I cannot give you my love', with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, and the lively What Car.

Sir Cliff is number 56 in the 2002 100 Greatest Britons list, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public. Adored especially by baby boomer women, many of whom camp out for his concert tickets, he has become a fixture of the British entertainment world and of British public life.

The Ultimate Pop Star, a Channel 4 programme broadcast in 2004, revealed that Cliff Richard had sold more singles in the UK than any other music artist, ahead of the Beatles in second place and Elvis Presley in third.

Sir Cliff has become joint owner of the Arora International Hotel in Manchester, which opened in June 2004.

"Cliff and the Shadows" had not performed as an act since 1989/1990, but on June 14, 2004 Cliff joined the Shadows on stage at the London Palladium. The Shadows had decided to re-form for one final tour of the UK, with this concert heralded as their final ever concert as the Shadows.

Sir Cliff spends much of his time at his house Barbados, and has lent it to British Prime Minister Tony Blair at times. [3]

Recently, it was reported that Cliff's image isn't entirely clean-cut when he apparently told Gordon Ramsay to 'Fuck off' on the The F-Word. After offering Cliff several wines to taste and declaring one "Very harsh, undrinkable" Ramsey then revealed it to be one from Cliff's own vineyard.

Cliff's current project is an album of duets, including material with Brian May, Dionne Warwick, Anne Murray, Barry Gibb and Daniel O'Donnell. Released on 6th November to co-incide with the UK leg of his latest world tour 'Here and now' which opened to rave reviews at Wembley Arena on 4th November 2006. Cliff performed several lesser known, but fan-favourite songs including, 'My Kinda Life', 'How did she get here', 'Hey Mr. Dream Maker', 'For Life', 'A Matter of Moments', 'When the girl in your arms', 'Every face tells a story', 'Peace in our time' and the new Christmas single '21st Century Christmas'.

Sir Cliff's mother, Dorothy Webb, suffers from advanced Alzheimer's Disease. In a September 2006 interview with The Daily Mail, he spoke about the difficulties he and his sisters had in dealing with their mother's dementia.[4]

[edit] Sexuality

Cliff Richard has remained a "Bachelor Boy", giving rise to the occasional rumours about his sexuality. In 1974, he denied a rumour that he had asked his good friend Olivia Newton-John for her hand in marriage.^{[citation needed]} Later, his relationship with tennis player Sue Barker was the subject of much gossip, but they disappointed those who expected them to marry.^{[citation needed]} Insiders in the entertainment industry often refer to Cliff's sexuality as "The best kept secret in showbusiness". He has frequently denied accusations of homosexuality.

[edit] Chart accomplishments

• Cliff Richard has scored fourteen number one singles in the UK; more than any other artist, with the exception of Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
• Cliff has sold more singles in the UK than any other act, with sales exceeding twenty million copies. Interestingly enough, he has scored only one million-selling single, "The Young Ones".
• Cliff is the only act in the UK to score a #1 single in each and every decade since the inception of the UK Singles chart in 1952, with the exception of the 2000's. The following list shows the number of chart toppers Cliff has achieved in each decade.
  • 1950s - 2: "Living Doll", "Travelling Light"
  • 1960s - 7: "Please Don't Tease", "I Love You", "The Young Ones", "The Next Time/Bachelor Boy", "Summer Holiday", "The Minute You're Gone", "Congratulations"
  • 1970s - 1: "We Don't Talk Anymore"
  • 1980s - 2: "Living Doll", "Mistletoe & Wine"
  • 1990s - 2: "Saviour's Day", "The Millennium Prayer"
  • 2000s - 0; his closest was "Santa's List" which made #5 in December 2003.

The acts with the most aggregate time spent on the British record charts: Current rankings:

1. Elvis Presley (2,574 weeks)
2. Cliff Richard (1,982)
3. Queen (1,755)
4. The Beatles (1,749)
5. Madonna (1,660)
6. Elton John (1,626)

[edit] Christmas songs

Cliff Richard has aimed for the Christmas number one single on several occasions, sometimes successfully and other times not. His first Christmas number one (on some charts) was in 1960, but it was not a Yuletide-themed song:

• 1960: "I Love You" (#1)#

In later years, he often released songs with a Christmas or other religious theme:

• 1969: "With the eyes of a child" (#20)
• 1982: "Little Town" (#12)
• 1988: "Mistletoe & Wine" (#1)
• 1989: "Whenever God Shines His Light" (duet with Van Morrison, #20)
• 1990: "Saviours' Day" (#1)
• 1991: "We Should Be Together" (#10)
• 1999: "Millennium Prayer" (#1)
• 2003: "Santa's List" (#5)
• 2006: "21st Century Christmas"

He also featured on the 1989 Christmas number one by Band Aid II, thus appearing at the top of the charts for three consecutive Christmases.

[edit] Discography

See Cliff Richard discography.

[edit] Trivia

• Sir Cliff has had no fewer than 25 records (all formats) reach number one in UK music sales charts.

• Home for Cliff, is a mansion in Weybridge, Surrey, which he bought in 1987 for £1.4 million.

• Cliff owns at least three luxury vehicles, amongst them, a 1980 Rolls Royce, a 1989 Range Rover and a 1990 Mercedes-Benz 500 SL.

• In May 2006 the video for his song Wired For Sound (1981) was appointed as "worst video ever" at VH1. The video features Cliff surrounded by rollerskaters with colourful skin-tight garments skating around the shopping centre at Milton Keynes.

• Has often remarked in interviews that he remained slim after hearing a remark on the British Soap Coronation Street made in the 1960's by Minnie Caldwell about "that chubby Cliff Richard".

• British black metal band Cradle Of Filth recorded a cover of his song "Devil Woman" for the special edition of their 2004 album Nymphetamine. The song features notoriously satanic singer King Diamond on backing vocals.

• Cliff's "We Don't Talk Anymore" was one of the first ten music videos played by MTV on the channel's launch day - August 1, 1981.

• In 1961 David Hockney painted a picture called 'Doll Boy'. The 24 year-old artist then at the Royal College of Art in London was inspired so to do because he found the idol of the British pop scene "very attractive, very sexy" as he did his delivery of the song Living Doll. Hockney had many postcards and photos he'd cut out of newspapers of Cliff pinned up in his painting cubicle at the college.

• In an interview at the premier of Spamalot in the West End Cliff Richard expressed his like of the comedy of Monty Python and The Goon Show.

Preceded by: Frankie Vaughan Tower Of Strength

UK Christmas Number One single The Next Time 1962

Succeeded by: The Beatles I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Preceded by: Pet Shop Boys Always On My Mind

UK Christmas Number One single Mistletoe and Wine 1988

Succeeded by: Band Aid II Do They Know It's Christmas

Preceded by: Band Aid II Do They Know It's Christmas

UK Christmas Number One single Saviour's Day 1991

Succeeded by: Queen Bohemian Rhapsody

Selected Eurovision winners/participants for Congratulations
Eurovision winners/participants that participated	ABBA | Brotherhood of Man | Celine Dion | Sertab Erener | France Gall | Dana International | Johnny Logan (twice) | Domenico Modugno | Mocedades | Nicole | Olsen Brothers | Elena Paparizou | Cliff Richard

[edit] See also

• Best selling music artists - World's top-selling music artists chart.

[edit] External links

• Cliff Richard's official website
• NEW Cliff Richard forum
• International Cliff Richard Movement website
• Cliff Richard Interview Podcast
• Cliff Richard Interview
• http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/cilffrichard.txt
• Cliff Richard Full Discography (All Albums & Singles w/ Cover Sleeve, Catalog Number & UK Charts)